Jiang Chun’s eyes turned cold. “If the eminent monks of Hidden Mountain Temple possess such a divine weapon, why didn’t they present it to Father, but instead give it to the Sixth Princess?”
“I don’t know.” Hua Yuanyi shook his head. He had merely come up with an excuse on the spur of the moment.
Mo Song stroked his beard. “Perhaps Princess Jinyang created it herself?”
He was a civil official with an upright, scholarly appearance. His hair was combed perfectly, giving him the air of a stern and proper man.
Jiang Chun shook his head. “The Sixth Princess has been staying at Hidden Mountain Temple all this time. Although I don’t see her often, I know her temperament. She is gentle, inexperienced in worldly affairs, and incapable of crafting weapons herself.”
What he meant was that someone was using Princess Jinyang as a front, borrowing the authority of an imperial princess to accomplish their own ends.
Sheng Chi frowned. He had once thought the same, but ever since meeting Jiang Jin, that notion had vanished completely.
The Jinyang Army was clearly under Jiang Jin’s command. And judging by her presence alone, did she look like someone who could be controlled by another?
What a joke. It was more likely that she would control others than allow herself to be controlled.
The First Prince had said this merely to find an excuse for seizing this force in the future.
As for the truth, who really cared?
He glanced at the First Prince, whose expression was displeased. For some reason, his heart gave a violent thump at that moment, and he suddenly realized that the First Prince was worlds apart from Jiang Jin.
He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, not a single word came out.
It was not until afternoon that Sheng Chi returned to his residence.
“How did it go?” Zhang Tinghan asked anxiously.
Sheng Chi took a sip of water. “The First Prince agreed to give us five hundred mu of land. He wants to see what kind of harvest we can produce first.”
Zhang Tinghan frowned. “Five hundred mu? That’s far too little.”
Kong Yi shook his head. “It’s not little at all. Sizhou is overcrowded now, and all the land has been divided among the various aristocratic families. Even the First Prince doesn’t have much farmland left.”
Apart from the local aristocratic clans of Sizhou, the other noble families that had arrived there had used all kinds of excuses to seize both unclaimed and privately owned land. Even the wastelands had nearly all been divided up.
That was why, until the very last moment, they had been unwilling to abandon Ze’a Commandery and flee to Sizhou.
Fortunately, with the high-yield grain seeds, they now had five hundred mu of land to their name.
As long as the seeds truly produced the kind of harvest Jiang Jin had promised, their holdings would continue to expand. Once the land had been cultivated for long enough, they could use various methods to turn it into their own property. That was the usual practice of aristocratic families like theirs.
Huo Chun sighed. “It’s just a pity that the people who planted the fields before claimed they had to return to Ge Feng for the New Year, only to leave and never come back. Now there isn’t even anyone who knows how to grow these crops.”
Sheng Chi waved a hand. “It’s fine. They taught us the general method of cultivation, and we’ve already grown celtuce once. It shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Tomorrow, take some people to inspect the farmland the First Prince gave us. Plant the seeds as soon as possible.”
Zhang Tinghan couldn’t help asking, “The First Prince is making us cultivate so much land. Didn’t he provide us with any subsidies?”
Sheng Chi shot him a glance. Was this fool still unable to see the situation clearly?
Things were different now. Being given five hundred mu of land was already quite generous. And he still wanted additional support?
After everyone had left, Kong Yi lingered behind hesitantly.
Sheng Chi looked at him in confusion. “What is it?”
Kong Yi chose his words carefully. “Master, I’m afraid Sizhou may not be a place where we can stay for long.”
Sheng Chi straightened, his expression growing solemn. “What do you mean?”
Kong Yi shook his head. “Just look at Sizhou’s taxes. They reveal the chaos here clearly enough.”
Instead, Sheng Chi felt reassured after hearing this. “The First Prince is preparing to face the Jiao Army. Collecting some fees is an unavoidable measure under the circumstances. There’s no need to make such a fuss.”
Kong Yi was silent for a moment before saying, “But because of the heavy taxes, a great many people in Sizhou can no longer bear the burden.”
Sheng Chi waved his hand dismissively. “As long as the First Prince has an army and the support of the aristocratic families, he has nothing to fear. Those commoners are of no consequence.”
Kong Yi opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing more. He withdrew from the room.
Watching him leave, Sheng Chi sighed inwardly. How could he not know what was happening in Sizhou?
But what else could he do?
Go to another country?
If life was already like this in Sizhou, what better fate could await them elsewhere?
At the same time, the First Prince was sitting with a dark expression on his face.
Most of the civil and military officials seated below him looked no better.
Sun Zheng let out a cold scoff. “What is Princess Jinyang trying to do? Since she possesses such a divine weapon, she should present it to the court.”
Mo Song lifted his eyes and glanced at him. “And on what grounds?”
Sun Zheng was momentarily at a loss. “Naturally, it should be used to deal with the barbarians and protect the realm of Yan together. Besides, this thing may have been given to her by His Majesty.”
Mo Song exhaled softly. “Do you truly believe His Majesty gave it to her? If His Majesty possessed such a weapon, how could Dingyang have fallen?”
He turned to the First Prince. “Since the Sixth Princess has seized considerable territory in Fengzhou, Your Highness could join forces with her to face the enemy.”
Sun Zheng cast him a sidelong glance. “Join forces to fight the enemy? And once the realm of Yan has been reclaimed, what do you think should happen then?”
“Given the way Princess Jinyang is acting, she is clearly not content to remain idle. She must have developed ambitions she should not possess. When the time comes, how do you expect His Highness to deal with her?”
Mo Song knitted his brows. “Aren’t you thinking too far ahead? Since ancient times, there has never been a woman who became emperor.”
“The Sixth Princess is acting as she is to save our Han people and fight for the realm of Yan. Why would she covet that position?”
Sun Zheng laughed. “That would be wonderful. Why don’t you go speak with the Sixth Princess yourself? Better yet, persuade her to present the divine weapon. That would be true dedication to protecting the realm of Yan.”
Mo Song frowned and looked toward Jiang Chun. Seeing that he remained silent with his lips pressed tightly together, it was obvious that he tacitly agreed with Sun Zheng.
Mo Song’s heart was filled with conflicting emotions. After hesitating for a moment, he finally lowered his head and said nothing more.
He himself did not understand why Princess Jinyang had secretly developed her power in Fengzhou instead of contacting the First Prince.
In his view, with the nation facing calamity, everyone ought to unite and stand against the enemy together.
But no matter how one looked at it, the repeating crossbow was Princess Jinyang’s possession, regardless of how she had obtained it. To keep demanding that she “present it” was no different from trying to seize it by force.
Did Sun Zheng not understand that?
Naturally, he did. He simply did not take Princess Jinyang seriously, believing her to be a soft persimmon that they could squeeze and shape however they pleased.
The First Prince understood the principle even better. He merely believed, as a matter of course, that everything belonging to Yan should be his.
Because he was the rightful heir.
Whether it was the Grand General or the divine repeating crossbow, both should gather around him and obey his command.
Mo Song sighed. Yet they had all overlooked one crucial fact: the Grand General was willing to submit himself to a woman. That alone showed how extraordinary Princess Jinyang truly was.
When he saw that Mo Song was not speaking, Sun Zheng gave a cold snort. “What? You’re unwilling?”
Hua Yuanyi frowned. “The situation in Fengzhou is unclear. It is indeed reasonable to send someone there to discuss an alliance.”
“However…” His tone shifted. “The specific terms of cooperation can only be decided after meeting Princess Jinyang in person.”
“After all, Fengzhou lies to the north while we are in the south. If Princess Jinyang refuses to cooperate, we have no way to force her to serve us for the time being.”
He raised his head and looked at the First Prince. “If necessary, I am willing to serve as the escort for this journey to Fengzhou.”
He had not seen his daughter for a very long time. This would be a good opportunity to visit her and see for himself what kind of force was capable of accepting female soldiers.
Mo Song looked toward the First Prince. Seeing that he did not speak, it was clear that he had given his tacit approval.
After considering the matter for a moment, Mo Song nodded in agreement.
He was also rather curious about what kind of person Princess Jinyang was—the woman who had made Zhou Sui submit to her.
If possible, it would be best to persuade Princess Jinyang to join forces with the First Prince. The situation in Sizhou was far from optimistic.
